By Ashlee Banks Special to the AFRO
The Biden-Harris administration and members of Congress continue to address the gun violence epidemic in the U.S. and remain optimistic that they will be able to pass gun reform legislation.
In recent years the U.S. has seen gun violence erupt in cities like Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Oakland, California, sometimes claiming the lives of innocent bystanders and young children. Americans have also seen an uptick in mass shootings which have occurred in unconventional spaces.
On May 14, 2022, Payton Gendron opened fire at a Tops Friendly Markets Supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 Black Americans. A few years prior, on June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof opened fire at the predominantly Black Emanuel AME Church, killing nine parishioners. Those two incidents are merely two of dozens of such mass shootings that have claimed numerous American lives. Despite the losses, however, lawmakers have not been able to pass comprehensive gun reform to curb the violence.
President Joe Biden recently spoke with voters while campaigning in New York and said that over the course of his presidency, he has met with victims of gun violence and emphasized the importance of protecting American lives.
“ remind us of why we must fully implement a significant gun safety law…and we must ban assault weapons,” said Biden.
Over the years, members of Congress have introduced legislation that could help prevent gun violence across the country, however, the proposed statutes fail to garner bipartisan support.
On March 20, U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Destroy Zombie Guns Act, which if enacted into law would close a loophole that has permitted gun disposal companies to destroy just one part of a firearm before reselling the remaining portions, which the lawmakers fear could find its way into the wrong hands.
“A ‘zombie gun’ is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a gun that should not be living, it shouldn’t be able to operate, it shouldn’t be in use,” said Frost. “I refuse to see another life taken or another family devastated because of gun violence. We need to destroy zombie guns now.”
In 2023, U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) introduced the Raise the Age Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which if enacted into law would forbid any licensed gun dealer from selling a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun to a customer under the age of 21.
“Some of the most horrific and heartbreaking mass shootings in our history were committed by 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds using assault weapons, including the massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012, at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, and at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999,” said Ivey.
“This bill alone won’t fix the problem of gun violence. But we know that inaction will NOT stop the mass killings! The time for action is long overdue,” Ivey added.
While some politicians push forward to find solutions to legal challenges and the underlying causes of gun violence in the U.S., they are also taking issue with the U.S. Supreme Court for rolling back protections that could prevent the next mass shooting.
Although the high court upheld a ban to keep firearms away from domestic abusers in U.S. v. Rahimi, the majority-conservative court also reversed a ban on bump stocks in Garland v. Carrillo last month.
“As victims recognize #GunViolenceAwarenessMonth, a deaf, blind & unaccountable Justice Thomas appeases wealthy firearms industry patrons,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) in a social media post. “His edict opens the door wide for the sale of bump stocks, which enables mass killings w/ more efficiency. See you in Bali, Justice Thomas.”
Following the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have vowed to pass tougher gun legislation if re-elected.
“Americans should not have to live in fear of this mass devastation,” said Biden. “I call on Congress to ban bump stocks, pass an assault weapon ban, and take additional action to save lives – send me a bill and I will sign it immediately.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, (D-N.Y.), is ready to answer Biden’s call and is enlisting the help of his Republican colleagues.
“Weapons of war have no place in a civilized society,” said Jeffries. “It’s time for extreme MAGA Republicans to join us in the fight to achieve commonsense gun safety, or get out of the way.”
“American lives are at risk,” added Jeffries.
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